BY GABRIELA WATSON-BURKETT AND MELISSA BEATRIZ ON JULY 27, 2020

On June 13, Philadelphia-based immigrant justice groups, Juntos and New Sanctuary Movement, formed 'Marcha en Solidaridad con las Vidas Negras,' to join the protests against systemic racism. They marched in solidarity with other grassroots groups that organized 'Defund the Police: The Whole System is Guilty!,' a protest to demand that the City revise its proposed budget by investing in community-based services and defunding the police department.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON JUNE 20, 2020

En las últimas semanas, los residentes de Filadelfia han estado protestando contra la brutalidad policial y el final de importantes programas culturales y artísticos. Entre los temas principales se encuentran los recortes en el presupuesto propuestos para 2021 por el alcalde Jim Kenney. Estos cortes eliminan el Fondo Cultural de Filadelfia (PCF) y la Oficina de Artes, Cultura y Economía Creativa (OACCE).

BY MELISSA BEATRIZ ON JUNE 20, 2020

El 16 de junio, la Coalición de Artistas para una Filadelfia Justa, organizó la Acción de Arte de Emergencia para financiar los Futuros de Afro Descendientes en los escalones del Museo de Arte de Filadelfia. El objetivo de la acción era para "utilizar el poder de la expresión artística en forma de música, danza y artes visuales para exigir un presupuesto de la ciudad que financie los futuros Afro Descendientes, desfinancie la policía, y salvar el Fondo Cultural de Filadelfia.”

BY MELISSA BEATRIZ ON JUNE 20, 2020

On June 16, the Artist Coalition for a Just Philadelphia hosted the Emergency Art Action to Fund Black Futures! on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The action’s goal was to “use the power of artistic expression in the form of music, dance and visual art to demand a city budget that funds black futures by Defunding the Police and Saving the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.”

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON JUNE 19, 2020

Over the past few weeks, Philadelphians have been protesting police brutality and the end of dire cultural and arts programs. Among the main issues are Mayor Jim Kenney’s proposed 2021 budget cuts that eliminate the Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) and the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE). This same budget allocates an additional $19 million for the Philadelphia Police Department.

BY MELISSA BEATRIZ ON MARCH 23, 2020 | PUBLISHER: WHYY

I’m a Uruguayan-American documentary filmmaker whose current production has been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak. As a freelancer, this health crisis has jeopardized my ability to work on creative projects. And the same is true for my husband, a musician and teaching artist whose work has been cancelled for the foreseeable future.

SEGMENT PRODUCED, SHOT AND EDITED BY GABRIELA WATSON-BURKETT

PRODUCED FOR PHILLYCAM/ATRÉVETE

Production Assistants: Claudia Ceballos, Kat Garcia

This segment was part of PhillyCAM's show Atrévete.

PRODUCED BY GABRIELLA WATSON-BURKETT

PRODUCED FOR PHILLYCAM/ATRÉVETE

Producer Gabriela Watson-Burkett visited the northeast region of Philadelphia, where the Brazilian community is located. She interviewed Amabilis Silva, owner of Picanha Grill restaurant and Felipe Haubrich, CEO/Publisher of the magazine Alô Você.

PRODUCED BY GABRIELLA WATSON-BURKETT

PRODUCED FOR PHILLYCAM/ATRÉVETE

Interview with Dr. Sharelle Barber, director of the documentary I, Black Women Resist on Marielle Franco's legacy. The segment also features an interview with Vashti DuBois, Founder of the Colored Girls Museum. Marielle Franco was an Afro-Brazilian Activist who fought for racial and social inequality murdered in 2018.

DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY GABRIELA WATSON-BURKETT

CREATIVE PRODUCED BY MELISSA BEATRIZ

Baobab Flowers (Documentary, 40 min, Brazil/USA) is a personal documentary that blends poetic and observational footage following the journey of two high school teachers: Storm Foreman (Nyanza Bandele) in Philadelphia, United States, and Priscila Dias in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Director, Gabriela Watson-Burkett, immerses herself in a journey to make the connections between communities of the African Diaspora.

CO-DIRECTED AND CO-EDITED BY MELISSA BEATRIZ

PRODUCED FOR MEDIA MOBILIZING PROJECT

Every day, Celia Mota’s only option is to drive without a license, risking deportation and separation from her family. When Celia’s brother-in-law was wrongfully arrested four years ago, she and her sister Alejandra Mota found hope and faith with New Sanctuary Movement. After winning a multi-year court battle to keep their family together, they decided to fight for other people in their situation. Now they are leading a campaign for driver’s licenses for all Pennsylvanians, regardless of immigration status.